I feel the most beneficial aspect of this course is that it
touches on such a broad array of applications and disciplines. Although a
structural concentration for Civil Engineering, I would have been much less
satisfied by the course had we done 10 weeks of Revit projects. Although this
would be beneficial, the introduction of many more topics as was done
throughout the past ten weeks will have (I believe) many more actual
applications.
Of all aspects of the course, I gained the most from the
guest speakers who came in for the latter half of the term. Although I often
did not gain as much as intended from the actual topics they discussed, I
learned a lot more about how I feel I should shape my career after Drexel.
Talking with individuals who have gone through a similar process as us, seeing
their experiences and where they’ve ended up has helped me in deciding how I
want to approach job opportunities and advancement. Not only did it provide
examples of what I feel would be good choices for me, but it also provided a
chance to see career paths I certainly would NOT enjoy, and that seems more
helpful than any Revit tutorial.
On the other hand, I would have enjoyed researching other
BIM software applications than Revit. Although it’s currently becoming more and
more popular, I feel it would have been helpful to discuss other tools, if only
for a week. Knowing that Revit isn’t the only tool available would be helpful;
sometimes when dealing with particular clients from different states or
backgrounds, particular software must be implemented, so I always value having
at least a cursory knowledge of as many programs as possible.
Overall, I greatly enjoyed this course. In terms of
professional development, I feel this was one of the best possible
graduate-level courses to take. Working in transportation, I will likely never
encounter Revit in any of my projects; however, I feel this course still helped
me understand the nature of software such as this and how the design of
structures is currently changing.
Comments
To Dianna:
I remember the guest speakers that discussed clashes on
their projects; I found it interesting as well. Navisworks is a program I
haven't touched before, so it would have been an interesting project to
actually discuss this in class or for an assignment. I suppose using the
program for an assignment would be a bit difficult, considering the front-end
work that must be done to get to a point where multiple systems are ready to be
run for interference checks. However, it's a valuable tool, and I'm glad it was
at least brought up.
To Danielle:
Taking this class certainly brought to light many tools and
programs that are useful in our field. Once the class ends, these innovations
won't end, as Dianna mentioned, and it will be on us to find and research these
things for personal professional development. Companies always eventually need
to adapt to new software and technologies, making a big leap when transitioning
from old practices; that certainly won't end any time soon. Being proficient in
the next step of software for a company will always make someone an invaluable
employee.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what you said about learning from the speakers what you do not want to do in life. Sometimes this is more helpful than hearing someone speak on a topic you are interested in, depending on the length of time. With this extra knowledge, if down the road you are offered a job performing a task that you know you DON’T like then the job can be altered. However, if you have never heard of a specific job, or task, then it won’t be clear if you like or dislike it and may be stuck doing something unpleasant. Likewise, I fully agree that AE510 was one of the most helpful and stimulating graduate classes to take. Generally graduate classes are based on learning some intricate portion of one subject, such as advanced mechanics of materials. However, AE510 gave us a broad over view of multiple helpful concepts and helped prepare us for the industry once we graduate.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteI, too, believe that AE510 has helped in preparing me for the professional world. With the skills and knowledge that we have obtained in BIM software, databases, and sensors, we now have a wide range of building technology traits that will help us in the future. With the information and advice that we have received from listening to guest speakers talk about their real-world experiences in the industry, we have gained more professional pointers than I would have ever imagined when signing up to take this course. I will certainly take many aspects of this course and apply them to my future career in structural engineering; just the way of thinking innovatively itself is something that I will keep with me.
Alex,
ReplyDeleteI really liked what you said about how the guest lecturers taught what you did not want to do. I feel that sometimes this is just as important, if not more important than knowing what to do. Although the guest lecturers did not have this effect on me, I can definitely sympathize as this same thing has happened with me on some of my co-ops. I also share the same opinion about wanting to learn about other BIM programs other than Revit. I believe that it is important to learn about as many programs as possible despite Revit being the standard in the industry. A good analogy for this I believe is Windows vs. Mac operating systems. Although Windows OS is the standard in professional fields, it is also incredibly important to at least know how to navigate through Mac OS too, and vice versa.
The broad nature of the course is very handy. While it would be interesting to learn more about each of the topics introduced in the course, it was more useful. I’ll join everyone else and say I enjoyed the guest lecturers’ presentations for showing us how what we were learning is being used (or not used) in industry. It also gave me a feel for what I think I want to do with the rest of my life.
ReplyDelete